Hair, Makeup, and Uncomfortable dates
by Rosamundisch
Summary: everyone is getting ready for the yule ball, some excited, some not so much! CCxCD, HGxVK, RWxPP, HPxPP, DMxPP, HPxDM, GWxNL read and review please! 3


Then, surprisingly enough, came the actual night of the yule ball itself. Students only had the first four lessons of the day, leaving a bit more time for everyone to get ready and just relax a bit more – after all, the yule ball was a celebration!

At primary school, Hermione detested the girls who covered themselves in makeup, spent hours on their hair, fussed after boys, who had conversations with 'girlfriends' about boys, makeup, whether or not to wear tights, etc. And now, Hermione feared, she had become everything she despised of when she was younger. Yes, Hermione cared an awful lot about school (yet she could do nothing all day and still get an outstanding), and worked her socks off for exams, wrote seven pages for every paragraph others do on essays. And the day of the yule ball was no exception. All through the first lesson she only had curse deflection in her mind (DADA), all through the second lesson all she could think about was how you must always squeeze the juice out of a Dingleweed before adding it to the Ligrendenthus potion (Potions, obviously), all through the third and fourth was the same. Yet, as the bell went for lunch, symbolising the end of lessons, all her knowledge, brains, and cleverness disappeared, only to be replaced with the major thought of a certain quidditch player (Who, can we add, was definitely neither Ron nor Harry).

When Ginny had told her friends about her newly arranged date, they burst out laughing.

'Sometimes Gin, you need to learn when to decline' preached Bluebell Alexon, who although being from Slytherin, had become rather good friends with the third year Gryffindor girls.

'She felt sorry for him, duh' corrected a girl named Alice, a close friend of Ginny's.

'Who else would she go with?' laughed a particularly spiteful girl named Lavonia, insinuating no one else would have gone with her.

'Perhaps' Started a dreamy voice on the far side of the table, 'She actually wanted to go with poor old Neville' This caused the whole table to start to giggle, which earned them a dangerous look from Ms Pince – they were in the library after all.

'Yeah right Luna' scoffed Bluebell before adding 'More like loser' under her breath.

Feeling insecure under Ms Pince's scrutinising gaze, the group of girls stood up to leave, almost looking as if they were running away from Luna. Ginny turned around when they were at the door to smile at Luna, but Luna was already absorbed in her book (_'Life and times of El Rosamundo'_) and didn't look up in time before Ginny was yanked away by her friends.

The thing was, all of her friends were partially right. When Neville asked her, she couldn't very well say no, could she? And Lavonia was true too, no one else had asked Ginny, and if she didn't say yes they'd both be alone – what was the point in that? And pity yes, Ginny knew how embarrassing it was to like someone and for them to not return this feeling – She had that situation with her brother's best friend!

All of these thoughts had gone through her head when he had asked her, but what made her say yes wasn't politeness, desperation or pity, it was that thinking about it, Neville was _really_ sweet, and if they did get together (unlikely but still), he would be a better, more romantic and charming boyfriend than any of the other possible candidates! So, Luna was the most correct. And as her friends went back to their correct dormitories accordingly, Ginny became more and more excited about the coming evening.

Ron was so chuffed with Harry. Super chuffed. Harry had not only been able to get a date for Ron (which is easily done, Ron thought to himself), he had managed to get a date for himself as well! Twins As well!

'Hey Harry if I get married to Padma, and you to Parvarti, we'd be like brothers!' Ron said aloud, in a goofy voice. 'Like proper brothers'

'In law' Harry corrected with a sigh. 'And I sincerely doubt it'

'Alright techy, I'm just saying!'

Pansy sat with the fourth year Slytherin girls. The boys and girls of Slytherin fourth year had all been paired up practically, Pansy and Draco (obviously, thought Pansy), Millicent and Blaine, Crabbe and a particularly long faced girl named Anya, Goyle with a rather, er, rounded girl named Maisie. The girls were sat in the dormitory admiring Pansy and her dress and her partner and her hair and everything about her.

'I mean, it was sort of known that I'd be with Draco, I mean, prettiest girl, best looking guy, it figures' sneered Pansy whilst holding her strapless, too small, pond green dress against herself in the mirror. Whilst pansy did have a sort of pinched face that radiated disgust and snideness, what she said about herself being the prettiest girl of Slytherin was true.

'Pansy you're going to look so pretty tonight' squeaked Anya is admiration.

'You and Draco together will be so perfect' added Millicent.

'Goyle is so dreamy' muttered Maisie, and everyone turned to raise an eyebrow at her. 'I mean, not as dreamy as er Draco' she corrected herself.

Pansy turned back to the mirror and pouted slightly.

'Oh I _know' _

Neville found himself with nothing better to do than sitting on his bed, and thinking of how much he loved Ginny. It had to be love, the feeling he got when he looked at her, the excitement of seeing her at the end of a hard day of Snape breathing down his neck and shouting. Yes, they never talked, she sat with her friends, he sat on the outside of the fourth year circle, but just seeing her gorgeous ginger hair falling down her back, it was worth it. Without thinking, Neville stood up and started to dance to himself, as if it was him and Ginny together, like they would be that night.

Neville never found himself feeling as happy as this apart from when he was with his parents.

One person who really wasn't looking forward to the evening ahead was a Mr Potter. Padma (or was it Parvarti he was going with?) was pretty, and nice and everything, but sitting there, watching Pansy show off Draco to the whole school as if he was a show dog would be unbearable. And Draco would spot Harry looking glum, send him a sympathetic smile, and it would just make Harry feel even worse – he didn't want Draco's pity! He wanted Draco!

No, Harry didn't look forward to it at all.

Hermione, with no girl friends in her own year, and Ginny, finding herself disliking the girls in her year more and more, decided to get ready together. All of the girls in Ginny's dormitory had sneaked into Bluebells dormitory, and Ginny had said she would join them (a lie, naturlich), so Ginny and Hermione had the whole dormitory to themselves.

As Ginny sat on her bed fixing her hair, Hermione was getting changed in the bathroom, and vice versa. Ginny then did Hermione's makeup (pale blue eyes, V. understated, v. subtle, v. pretty, pale pink lip-gloss, nothing else was needed on Hermione's spotless skin), followed by Hermione doing Ginny's make up (Bronzer, smoky eyes, pearl lipstick, mascara'd eyelashes).

Soon, both girls were looking glamorous, and hot to trot – and only three hours early!

Ron scoffed at the amount of cologne Seamus and Dean had between them (they were going as 'bros' together…), Ron didn't need cologne. Ron naturally smelled nice without any need of a spray or fragrance. Well, so he thought anyway. Yet, even Ron, with his 'good looks' looked a sight in his dress robes.

Cho normally hated the traditional Chinese gowns her mother forced her to wear, but when her mother sent over this white silk, loose sleeved floor length dress was the type of dress you just wanted to put on immediately. Cho smiled, she knew Cedric would love it too, especially on her.

Surprisingly enough, Draco actually hated the way he looked, he hated his pale hair, he hated his thin tall and rather gangly figure, he hated his blue-nearly-colourless eyes, and he just couldn't stand it. That's why he and Harry got on so well, Harry knew what it was like, everyone staring at you all the time, everyone knowing who you are (although, Draco thought to himself, Harry was thought of in a good light, everyone assumed Draco was a controlling psychopath like his father).

But today, Draco didn't care about what he looked like, what light people saw him in, all he could think about, or care about was the fact that he had a date that wasn't Harry, and _so did harry. _

Hermione sat in the common room, alone. Everyone else had already left for the ball, but Viktor hadn't come to 'pick her up' yet. Was he coming? Was it all a joke? Would he actually appear at the ball with Fleur? Someone so obviously prettier than her?

Hermione stood up, and, alike her mother always did when anxious/angry/wanted to stretch legs, she started pacing back and forth, until she heard a subtle knock. Hermione ran full speed to the portrait, and opened it, panting slightly.

'You're late' She said, hoping to be jokey and teasing, but it sounded rather rude, unfortunately.

'This way' he started, with a smile 'we can make an entrance'


End file.
